Free Web NovelChapter 6: Chapter 6: The 3 Great Academies
Night fell, and a crescent moon hung high in the sky.
A single, bean-sized flame illuminated the dilapidated woodshed.
"Daoxing, you have to run."
Shen Yuerou said, her face fraught with worry, "The Matriarch and Shen Shaotian won’t let you go. Shaotian definitely plans to kill you during the contest for the White Cloud Order to completely solidify his reputation as the genius with the Venerable Bloodline."
She knew in her heart that the Shen Family hadn’t made a move yet only because her grandfather hadn’t yielded, and Shen Shaotian’s position wasn’t fully consolidated.
Once Shen Shaotian won the White Cloud Order and rallied the support of the Shen Family, he wouldn’t have to worry about Shen Changqing anymore.
At that point, Shen Daoxing would be a sitting duck!
Shen Shaotian would absolutely kill Shen Daoxing!
Shen Daoxing said calmly, "I know. Since Shen Shaotian wants to make a name for himself on the day of the White Cloud Order contest, I’ll be happy to oblige him."
"But..." Shen Yuerou started to say more.
"Yuerou, the Patriarch is still in their hands. I’m not leaving."
Shen Daoxing said in a low voice, "I have to rescue the Patriarch."
At the mention of Shen Changqing, Shen Yuerou’s eyes glistened. "Before Grandpa was taken, he told me to take good care of you. It’s all my fault for being so useless. I even let you stand up for me, and it almost led to disaster today."
As she spoke, tears streamed down her smooth, flawless cheeks.
Shen Daoxing cupped Shen Yuerou’s delicate face and said, "Sister, my Venerable Bloodline was taken from me. Do you still believe in me?"
Shen Yuerou pressed her lips together and said earnestly, "I do. Of course I believe in you. You are my Venerable Supreme."
’You are my Venerable Supreme!’
Shen Daoxing gently wiped away Shen Yuerou’s tears. "Sister, from now on, I’ll be the one to take care of you."
Shen Yuerou looked up at the handsome, refined face before her and whispered, "We’ll take care of each other."
In the dim light, their two shadows merged into one, as if they were huddling together for warmth.
...
The Shen Family’s Main Hall.
The Matriarch sat on the high seat at the head of the hall, her face wreathed in smiles. "Your presence here today, esteemed teachers, brings great honor to our Shen Family."
Seated below were Liu Cheng, a teacher from the Divine Wind Academy; Wang Hu, a teacher from the Celestial City Academy; and Zhao Zicheng, a teacher from the Royal Academy.
In a place like Baiyun City, their statuses were undoubtedly revered.
The three great academies rarely came to Baiyun City to recruit in previous years.
But not only had they come today, three of them had arrived at once.
Zhao Zicheng was the first to rise. He said coolly, "Matriarch, there’s no need for pleasantries. You should be well aware of our purpose for coming here. Where is the genius who triggered the Blessing of Heaven and Earth?"
Hearing this, the other two teachers also looked over.
Their sole purpose in coming to Baiyun City was for that genius, Shen Shaotian, the one who had received the Blessing of Heaven and Earth.
"Please, be patient, all three of you..."
Just as the Matriarch was about to speak, Shen Shaotian’s voice came from outside the hall.
"I’ve kept you three teachers waiting. Shaotian pays his respects."
The three men quickly looked over. They saw Shen Shaotian dressed in fine brocade robes. He was handsome, and his every gesture carried an air of nobility. Most notably, a tyrannical pressure emanated from within him.
This was precisely the pressure of the Venerable Bloodline!
All three of their eyes lit up. This feeling could not be faked.
’Although Shen Shaotian hasn’t been tested by an academy, he is truly a top-tier genius.’
"He is worthy of being blessed by Heaven and Earth."
Zhao Zicheng’s eyes narrowed, and he got straight to the point. "There’s no need for a White Cloud Order contest. The Royal Academy will take this student."
"Not so fast, Zhao!"
Wang Hu of the Celestial City Academy also shot to his feet. "This child is destined for my Celestial City Academy. He should enroll with us."
"There’s no need to fight, you two."
Not to be outdone, Liu Cheng also said, "As long as you join my Divine Wind Academy, I can guarantee, in the name of our first-generation dean, that you will receive five-star elite-level training."
Five-star elite training was the highest level of cultivation offered by the Divine Wind Academy. Only the most exceptional geniuses in the entire Martial Kingdom could enjoy such treatment.
"Heavens! Five-star elite training! I heard they provide a large amount of Elixirs every month."
"Celestial City Academy is the number one academy. I still think it’s a better choice."
"Shaotian is truly worthy of the heavens’ blessing. He is a true dragon of our Shen Family!"
...
Hearing the three teachers’ offers, the Shen Family experts present were ecstatic.
These were the most prestigious academies in the Martial Kingdom, responsible for nurturing more than half of its experts. Countless young people would kill to get into any one of them.
But now, these three great academies were actually fighting over a single genius—something that had never happened before in Baiyun City.
The Matriarch was beaming, grinning from ear to ear.
Shen Shaotian suppressed the excitement in his heart and said in a measured tone, "The conditions offered by the three teachers are all very generous, but I would like to make my decision after the White Cloud Order contest here in Baiyun City."
’He’s waiting for the highest bidder!’
Hearing this, the three teachers exchanged a glance. They all understood what Shen Shaotian was thinking.
Clearly, the offers they had made were not yet enough to sway him.
The teacher from Celestial City Academy nodded slightly. "The contest for the White Cloud Order is soon anyway. It won’t hurt to wait a little longer."
Since Shen Shaotian was waiting for a better offer, they could also take the opportunity to see the true quality of this Young Master of the Shen Family, who had earned the recognition of heaven and earth.
The other two teachers also expressed their agreement.
Shen Shaotian said coolly, "Then I invite the three of you to wait and see."
’On the day of the White Cloud Order contest, he would surely shake the world.’
The Matriarch said, "Then we will have to trouble the three of you to rest in our Shen Family for a few days. It is a remote place, but I hope you will not find it lacking."
"Thank you for having us."
The three men all clasped their fists in a salute.
Afterward, the Shen Family arranged for someone to lead the three academy teachers away to rest.
The Shen Family elder, Shen Lin, laughed excitedly. "Once Shaotian joins one of the three great academies, our Shen Family will become the number one family in Baiyun City!"
Shen Lin had always been a staunch supporter of Shen Shaotian. Now that Shaotian was in a position of power, how could he miss this chance to flatter him?
Hearing Shen Lin’s words, the Shen Family experts present grew excited about the future.
"The number one family in Baiyun City?"
The Matriarch sneered. "Just the number one family in Baiyun City? Is that all? Shaotian possesses the Venerable Bloodline and has even drawn a Blessing from Heaven and Earth. His future is limitless, and this is merely the beginning. In the future, our Shen Family will not only stand atop Baiyun City, but we will stand above the capital of the Martial Kingdom itself and become its new nobility."
’The new nobility of the Martial Kingdom!?’
The Matriarch’s words stunned the Shen Family experts.
The Matriarch swept her gaze across the room. "As long as you all support Shaotian, this future is assured."
Shen Lin shouted, "We will definitely support Young Master Shaotian!"
"Support Young Master Shaotian!"
"Support Young Master Shaotian!"
Instantly, the main hall erupted in a fervent roar.
A satisfied smile touched the corners of the Matriarch’s lips.
With the teachers from the three great academies staying at their residence, the entire Shen Family became inflated with arrogance.
In the past, the Shen Family had always kept a low profile in Baiyun City, especially when dealing with the other major families. But times had changed. The Shen Family now had a genius blessed by Heaven and Earth, who would soon be joining one of the three great academies.
Not only did many of the younger Shen Family disciples start calling themselves the number one family in Baiyun City, but even many of the elders believed it to be true.
The other families went out of their way to avoid them, not daring to cause the slightest provocation.
This made the Shen Family members value Shen Shaotian even more, practically putting him on a pedestal.
At this time, many in the Shen Family recalled Shen Daoxing, who had once been a genius of the family himself.
"I heard that after Shen Daoxing was stripped of his courtyard, he moved right into the woodshed."
"He even talked back to Young Master Shaotian not long ago. The nerve of that animal."
"Right now, the younger generation of Baiyun City all look up to Young Master Shaotian. He’s even ranked among the best in the Martial Kingdom. As for Shen Daoxing, he’s not even worthy of carrying Young Master Shaotian’s shoes!"
"It seems our Shen Family’s decision to choose Shaotian as the Young Master was an incredibly wise one."
"If Shen Daoxing kneels and begs Young Master Shaotian, he might have a chance to live."
"Who cares about him? Anyway, the Shen Family is getting everything it wants these days. Just the other day, I ran into someone from the Zhang Family’s Direct Lineage, and he had to bow and scrape before me."
"You’re telling me! You guys know that arrogant Crown Prince from the Wang Family? He used to be so high and mighty. Yesterday, I told him to get lost, and he didn’t dare make a peep. Just scrambled away, didn’t he? It felt so good!"
"Young Master Shaotian is the true hope of our Shen Family. He’s a genius with the Venerable Bloodline."
...
